iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, Fourth Edition

Software Updates for iTunes

Apple updates iTunes at least once a year with new features, (Podcasts! Videos! Pretty Colors!) and enhancements to the program’s code. As with any software update, once you download the software, double-click the installer file’s icon and follow along as the program takes you through several screens of upgrade adventure.

If you use iTunes for Windows, you can tell the program to alert you to newly available versions by choosing Edit → Preferences → General and turning on “Check for iTunes updates automatically.” If you prefer to check yourself, choose Help → Check for iTunes Updates or visit http://www.apple.com/itunes.

If you’re in Mac OS X, life is just as easy. The Mac’s Software Update program is designed to alert you, via a pop-up dialog box, about new updates for iTunes.

If you’ve turned Software Update off (in System Preferences), however, you can run it manually by selecting it under the Apple menu and sending it out to look for updates right then. Or you can always hit up the iTunes download page at http://www.apple.com/itunes to see whether your version is the latest and greatest.

If you’re having technical troubles, go to Apple’s main Support page at http://www.apple.com/support/itunes and choose the version of iTunes (Mac or PC) you’re grappling with.